


Feeling Change

by OctagonsRule



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Elements that could be considered au, Its REALLY more Robotnik given the setting a bit before and then during Sonic 1, Props to you if you put together the pieces before Robotnik does!, but you can read it without taking that into account too have fun!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:08:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23138224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctagonsRule/pseuds/OctagonsRule
Summary: Green Hill is a place Sonic has always known inside and out. So when new features and company arrive, the hedgehog meets it head-on with his trademark speed no matter how severe the situation becomes.
Kudos: 3





	1. Gotta Bounce

It was a beautiful day in Green Hill, Sonic could just tell.

The sun was warm and there could hardly be a cloud from the strength of the breeze, the flickies were tweeting and chirping about without a single care. All was right with the world and it brought the hedgehog the biggest grin.

A run about the paths and loop-de-loops was going to be at its best on a day like this, and getting lower to the ground Sonic prepared  
  
And _launched._

Without a worry to walls or rocks he sped along with confidence. He knew every way around this place, he’d nearly grown up here. So he was 1000% sure he wouldn’t be in for any surpri  
  
  


  
  


Sonic was a very frazzled hedge of a hog as he clawed at the ground, shaking still from the nerves of suddenly being launched into the air and the loud sound that had accompanied it. When his heart rate was back down to normal for a blue fool too cool for school, he inched forward with trepidation.  
  
Sure it had been a surprise at first but now the unknown was preying upon the self assurance left unguarded from the panic. Taking a deep breath, Sonic got to his feet, brushed off the loose blades of grass from his gloves, and reached out until his hand felt something. . . new.  
  
A light tap, and nothing happened. A pet, and poke, and knock even- the texture was smooth yet had a give he’d never felt before. He used both hands to push and found the strange thing would just move back with no resistance. 

That is, until he tried pulling back when the tension multiplied and knocked him backwards a few steps into a stumble and then a sit. Sonic blinked a few times, surprised but soon grinning at realizing what this new fixture must be.

‘A spring pad- oh I’ve heard of stuff like this! No wonder I went so high up, the harder you hit the more it gives back!’

With a rev and a whoop Sonic ran forward and did a somersault in the air as he ascended, landing on a ledge not long after. ‘Oh this is AWESOME!!! I bet I can do all kinds of tricks and OOOH I CAN GET ONTOP OF THE **LOOPS**!!!’

  
With renewed excitement over how many more of these could be hidden, the blue blur zoomed past the flowers and trees without wondering at all just _who_ would be putting something mechanical in Green Hills, or if this was just the start.


	2. Hide and Find

Something was, different about Green Hill lately, Sonic had been noticing. 

Sure it had begun as small details- the noise of flickies becoming infrequent, the rustling of the little animals scurrying in the grass rare. The scent of the flowers that loved to bloom all the time fading from the pathways and the warmth of the sun becoming thin for the season.

Change had come to his favorite place in the whole wide world as he knew it, and a feeling from inside warned him that it wasn’t a good one.

Ever the optimist however, the blue bundle of energy figured finding even just _one_ of his little buddies could prove it was just silly jumping to conclusions to assume something bad had gone down.

So here he was, running with his ears perked and keeping a slower pace so the wind didn’t cover the sound of the slightest squeak-

And then he stopped on a dime, quills blowing forward briefly before settling back in place. Sonic turned his head to the left, then to the right. Nothing sounded out of place on the surface but. . .

_Tap tap_ went his shoe against the ground, bringing his mouth to a line. Crossing his arms and leaning forward he did it again, faster with the pace and expression of someone impatient.

**Taptaptaptap**

A full-on frown bloomed on his face as confusion set in. He knew the feeling of every pathway beneath his shoes, the way the grass briefly clung to how the dirt compressed and carried the vibrations from his speed ahead of him.

It was why he knew when there was a tree of rock in the way when he focused, why he could avoid ever running into anyone on the ground without losing pace once he’d heard them. 

So, why there was suddenly something _new_ resting in the ground up ahead was puzzling.

A thought shared that maybe whoever was putting those rad bounce pads around had left this behind. ‘Maybe its something unfinished? But it sure is strange to just, put it in the ground right?’

Shrugging, Sonic revved back up in place, deciding to zip through to leave it undisturbed and get on his way with those friends to find. He neatly cleared the space and only stopped to brush his hands in victory

A chill rattled all the quills on his back as the heavy metal thumped against the grass like a body, the sharp clamp still echoing in the too-quiet grassland. 

One shaky step, then another, until he was sure he was in front of it. Gloved fingers traced the maw he’s missed by virtue of his namesake, unable to stop his mind from wandering to what it could have meant if he’d slowed even an instant-

Shaking his head with a frustrated huff, the hedgehog backed away from the trap, shaken but not stirred into a haze of fear. No, no he wasn’t frightened by this. Not in the slightest.

Sonic, was _miffed_.

Someone clearly wanted to catch him and THIS was the best they thought up? It couldn’t catch a leaf with that time delay, he assured himself and felt his confidence bolster.

‘Yeah- YE _AH_! That’s right I wouldn’t fall for something like this! If this weirdo wants a chance at me they better keep dreaming!!’

And like that, Sonic dashed off and for the comfort of it, cycled on a loop-de-loop using a jump at the middle to make it more of a wheel until his mood lightened. The situation had turned out fine, and now he knew to warn others!

Uplifted and pumped from a good spin-about, the resident whirlwind continued his search now with news to share! If only he realized there were so few left, hiding in fear in bush and nook alike.

If only he’d noticed the hidden lens back by the trap, later retrieved by a stranger in the night.


	3. Mockingbird

Two days.

The sky was empty of wings, the land barren of paws and hooves and claws. Sonic had never felt so alone in Green Hill as his worries infringed on his runs, nagging that what had once been exciting and new had become . . . 

Well, he wasn’t about to say  _ dangerous _ from that one little trap when it was such a total failure. He was too big to miss, so all his smaller friends must just be- be hiding! Yeah that was it, they were safe and sound until whoever was messing with the Zone beat it.

Yet that brilliant conclusion still didn’t settle his spikes one bit, and once even a Figure 8 couldn’t make the feeling go away he picked the search back up again. 

It was obviously overcast for a brewing storm or shower- fingers crossed for dry thunder- from how muggy the air had turned. It made him ruffle and rearrange his quill styling frequently to get the clingy feeling  _ off _ .

The search seemed nearly pointless- his friends were  _ fine  _ they were just, just laying low, no way they’d just pop up out of the-

_ “Tweet tweet!” _

Blue blurred forward with fresh speed towards the sound, honing in almost too fast to remember the ledge along the way. Sonic spun his arms in a cartwheel to regain his balance, landing his shoes from heel to toe back onto solid ground with a sigh.

‘Close call or not, it came from over here I’m sure of-’

_ “Tweet tweet chirp!” _

‘There!’ Sonic moved to face towards the first hint he’d had in too long, feeling a stress begin to slide off his shoulders. Here was a friend, out in the open and singing hello, about what a good morning it was!

Without caution Sonic walked over to avoid startling them, giving a wave and a smile to let them know it wasn’t some kind of  _ monster _ or something silly like that. If the others were beginning to show up then everything must already be

_ “Tweet tee tee Chiirr!” _

‘ _ Why- _ ’

Sonic knew what the call meant, that it was for help and stopped just a step away from the source; the relief he’d been cherishing ripped away moments before the heat of the attack registered. Making contact before he could react in wake of the shock and drawing out a cry in time with the gold that spilled from his chest.

Stumbling back, instinctively moving to regather the rings before he’d figured out quite what had happened,`the warnings this time were clear.

Clicking limbs, the whirl of a charge, the tinny echo to the birdsong now obvious at such closeness shattering all illusion.

Still unsteady, the hedgehog rolled out of the way before the heat had fully reached his body this time and to focus, to calm, to find a way to handle this, he counted.

_ One _ . The attack was still in the air. It was slow. 

_ Two _ . The grass ignited as it hit from the scent but smoldered out just as quickly from brief smoke. It wasn’t strong, but it burned. He knew that already, but it’d heal. 

_ Three _ . More clicks, readjustments, but silence. Finding out where he was? 

_ Four _ . A building hum. Yes it was, it would keep going whether he was hit or not. 

_ Five _ . It was still building, and let out another false voice. It used the noise to lure him closer. It would do this to the others if it wasn’t stopped now. 

_ Six _ . So, he just needed to take it out. All he needed to do was be fast.  _ So he  _ **_would be_ ** .

_ Seven _ .

Sonic heard it fire after he’d already dodged, felt the metal buckle under the force of his spin before his ears caught the electricity crackle, wires snap and something like glass but less stiff fracture.

The impact into the rock the whatever-it-was had been laying made his legs sting a bit but nothing that couldn’t be rubbed right as-

“Tw-tw _ ee. . _ ”   
  
The tingle in his limbs before the lightning struck in the distance lingered as he stood still without a breath to his name. It was when the weak call came again that he got to his knees, shifting through the foreign pieces until his hands had come across some kind of sphere. 

Thunder spoke for the hedgehog as he pried at the cracks, only to feel the distinct weight of a flickie in his palm. ‘Just a fledgling’, he noted, unable to put a label to what he was feeling or how long he might’ve stayed there, blinded to any thought by its intensity.

Rain, however, had a different plan in mind, a warning droplet poking his ear. The cold spurned a shiver, bringing the baby bird closer as the storm was getting stronger. 

‘This was no place for such a small friend,’ Sonic reminded himself with a shake of his head, pushing the feeling down and taking a deep breath. 

“*Don’t worry, I’m right here. Sonic will keep you safe.*” he chirped back to the tired chick, and he warmed with a smile despite the weather when he got a small, happy cheep back. “*Let’s go home.*” Hands easily fit over the flickie to keep them dry, the wreckage given no consideration as the rescuer scattered most of it with his takeoff.

Was  _ this _ what had happened to his friends? What could they have been taken for? What kind of beast would be able to be so strangely cruel? Questions upon questions twirled around the hedgehog as he ignored them with the utmost determination. 

Without any way to gain an answer, all that mattered was getting to a safe, dry spot with food for his littlest buddy. So in the moment Sonic stayed, moving ahead as fast and he safely could with cargo in hand. Careless of what further evidence he’d gifted the monster he’d had questions about, inside the scrap he’d left behind a live feed watching through the downpour.


	4. Blindspot

Green Hill was no longer empty and silent, yet nothing was well.

Low rumblings of engines and squeaks of wheels took the place of scurrying and songs, flowers closed or withered as their smell had been replaced by exhaust.

Sonic rushed through as carefully as he could, resisting the urge to break every being of metal that cluttered his path. Knowing that there were animals inside making that emotion he didn’t have a name for rise in his chest and hurt. 

The little flickie, Tweeton, had told the story as best they could as they went after a few days of rest and grub. How, “once captured, we were taken to someplace big and dark with no sunshine. There, a scary stranger towered and grinned wide enough to snap up anything in one bite, scooping each of us out of a pen into these metal boxes. A button on a box in its gloves would make the box go into dark and suddenly light up and move forward, revealing monster mimics of ladybugs, bees, monkeys and more.” 

Tweeton had been too small, slipping out of the stranger’s grasp, so the sphere had been used to keep them in place. Sonic held his fists tight at the thought of how long his friends had been trapped for, and put on another burst of speed.

They both settled to go for the one behind all this, snatching that remote to turn off all of the moving prisons. If none of them had a protective cover inside then the resulting wreckage could hurt his friends. With his speed it wasn’t an issue of grabbing the device, simply finding-

A loud thrumming brought the hedgehog back to the moment in time to roll suddenly to the left, throwing off the hovering bot that’d been trailing closer and closer. With one in range and himself almost stopped, the temptation led his momentum before his thoughts had a chance to catch up. 

As his shoe came down in a slicing kick and he realized what was happening panic didn’t have a chance to set in as the machine simply fell apart at impact. A catch from a dive towards what turned out to be a penguin was a success, despite the divot in the ground in the shape of his face.

‘Maybe they’re flimsier? Then I could-!’

The little friend in his hands squawked a thankful note, but quickly clicked for Sonic to keep moving. ‘That's right. Even if I free them all, they’ll just get captured again if I don’t stop this first.’

As much as it hurt, he gave the bird only a brief hug, and told them where to go to hide and find Tweeton. He had to keep moving forward, and didn’t turn back or hit any other machines as he made it through the main section of loops and paths in record time with none of the satisfaction.

Reaching the flats, there was time for taking a breath, for wiping the water away from his eyes that the wind had been blowing away.

Reprieve was brief, however, as the wind blew in the wrong direction and downwards, bringing Sonic to face the air and tense for confrontation. What was least expected, however, was a  _ voice _ .

“My my, what a stunning little sight you are? If my equipment wasn’t so flawless I might’ve thought the footage was altered and yet,” It was loud, deep but making an effort to be jolly. Or maybe whoever owned it was amused, Sonic could practically hear the smile that had been described by his friend.

“Here you  _ are.” _

As hands closed to fists and a hard line was taken over a smile, the stranger gave a laugh with the pace of a rock bouncing down a slope. “OH HO HO! Don’t bristle so quickly, little thing, you’re simply fascinating is all!”   
  
The wind increased, and whatever they were lowered closer to the ground, closer to Sonic as he stood, not at ease but squinting in concentration. If they could be in the air. . .

“What’s with that face? Seeing you with such expressions up close- I must admit you’re far and above more advanced than the vermin I’ve been collecting.”

Another laugh sounded when the Zoom Master frowned despite the effort to remain neutral, and this time it grated to hear. 

“Oh do humor me, it’s been an AGE since I’ve had someone to monologue to within the same range of comprehension as myself. You can only Shakespeare to the 100th robotic exoskeleton before it starts seeming a tad loony.”

When little ears perked at the request, the stranger gave the impression of a grin without a sound before continuing on, talking away from the audience and likely not keeping an eye out either. The hedgehog used the opening to try and figure out just WHAT they were and how they were in the air without a loud engine. Wings were out of the running from a lack of constant flapping and dusty feathers.

“When I found this island I assumed not all of its wildlife would be so easily subdued. That bear trap was set to move under wherever enough pressure was pressed down within a section of 30 feet. When the camera showed you  **jumped** the full extent and missed it by a second when you took those steps well. I knew that glitch in display or not, I had found a  **special** subject.”   
  
While the voice prattled, Sonic had circled and even managed to touch what seemed like a metal cloud, essentially. It blew out air more or less from indented parts from how much the cloud was moved, and had so many jumbled vibrations going through it that the shortie had to back away before he got dizzy. The gaze of the stranger made the space between them feel all too short, tension broken by something hitting the metal cloud like a rock.   
  
“OH HO, how rude of me! Of course you wouldn’t know who I am,” There was a short chuckle and something rustling- something on him?   
  
“Oh dear how I miss giving my own introduction!  **I** am DR. IVO ROBOTNIK! The greatest inventor and mechanist this world has ever had the  _ misjudgment  _ to underestimate for the LAST TIME!! Once I’ve gathered all the resources I need here, the scale of my retribution shall ensure not a soul will forget such a brilliant man for as long as I  **let them live** .”

Sonic felt like stone at the sudden increase in volume and intensity, doing the only thing he could think of after blinking a few times. Robotnik clearly approved of the clapping as the anger briefly palpable in the air dissipated.

“Ah, thank you THANK YOU! I do so love a good performance don’t you? Gets the passion broiling and- oh would you look at the time  _ tsk _ , I have to be getting a move on with my plans.”   
  
‘Wait he’s leaving? But I have to catch him he’s- he’s right there!!’ Sonic felt the air blow more strongly outwards against him, signifying the ride was rising upwards again. Too alarmed at missing his chance, he didn’t use a second to consider anything but reaching-

  
  


  
  


Sonic was launched up and away from the rings that had exploded onto the ground, landing on one of the occasional floating platforms that were always a nice surprise. At least he had a moment to try and get his head to stop spinning and lungs to accept air.

All the while the mildly distorted cackle of Robotnik sounded, a constant aside from the wind from this height to focus on.

“By my Ph _ D  _ you FELL FOR IT!! I cannot beliEVE it was so simple!!” The doctor wasn’t looking at the recently home-runned hedge when he continued, his voice sounding farther away from likely looking down given what he commented on. “And these- my last attempt to determine just WHAT you are showed them appearing as well. Oh, what’s this- flickering? O _ H _ .”   
  
Sonic got to a stand, unable to stop shaking at first from frustration. That reaction and description meant the rings had scattered, and he had lost his buffer for hits and maneuvers without burning stamina. Lacking a way to get more without letting Robotnik escape-

“Whether important or not, now I understand why you scrabbled before! When I hit a roadblock in finding out how you function maybe I’ll look into those! They work with organic matter-”

Straining his ears to go past the man’s noise for tells of machines, Sonic didn’t find a single one aside from what Robotnik was on. Two steps back and three forward took soap shoes from the platform to the air, spinning as a drill to increase the damage. A solid  **ThNK** for his efforts and a startled enemy brought an accomplished, almost smug smile forth when he landed smoothly. Darting forward into a quick jump brought one more collision with the lighter underside befo

  
  


  
  


This time, bones creaked while spikes absorbed most of the hit from what had somehow struck from behind. The platform that evidently hovered parallel to the first was missed narrowly, a shoulder clipping the edge hard enough to shower dirt momentarily.

Denied a moment to get over the ringing in his ears, bright stars flashing when he had his eyes closed for too long from the ache, the Dr. simply made amazed sounds. Something or other about it being funny, expectations, about needing data. . .

With one last shake, Sonic was as recovered as he was going to get without a ring to his name, facing directly at the rather loud man with dislike. A feeling that rooted as the chatter became distinct words once more.

“-tterly unprecedented- who would guess you would be so easy to face?? With that speed, that clear level of calculation you used on that badnik to destroy it beyond even  my repair why, to miss it you’d have to be-”

That it took the supposed genius till that moment to figure it out gave Sonic a chuckle, wishing as he so rarely did that he could see the look on Robotnik’s face. It must have been priceless to silence the man for a good 20 seconds.

“ _ Ah _ of course those EARS! I knew you were relying on them but not THAT much. Who knew that all I needed was a little soundproofing to have a distraction like you at my mercy?” Sonic frowned, the speculation having lost any charm whatsoever. 

The machine Robotnik rode in had begun to rattle and weaken with each hit, almost certain to give out with just one more. The biggest risk was the sphere imperceptibly swinging by, the shape nearly imprinted on his body from just two hits, to be broken in a third if care wasn’t taken.

‘He may have made it silent, but he can’t control everything.’

The rev would make his legs sting like a dash through thorns when he stopped, but all the same Sonic peeled out to enclose the Dr. in a circle. The questions and mocking jeers were ignored as he went faster and faster. The ground broke within his tract, earth pulled into the air in the direction of the runner alongside small stones, leaves and sticks. 

Inevitably the eye of the low-level cyclone was pelted by bits and pieces that flung out, giving an audible diagnostic beyond the peeved intruder.  _ Clink _ against the chain,  **thNK** against the hull

**_BwONNgg_ **

There it was. Sonic kept it up with building speed to truly make himself a constant smear around the base of the impromptu dust devil, cutting it in close and closer. With as much force as he could muster on worn breath, one last jump was made and a curled up spin given.

The air from the ball grazing his quills gave Sonic the briefest chill before he went slicing into the plastic, sheet metal and wire with an ease of going through a spider’s web. Equally destructive too as in a blink the open air surrounded him once more, shooting out the other side with a rewarding herald of creaks and squeaks and alarms. 

A cooler landing might’ve been nice, but grass tasted like victory to the backdrop of Ivo’s sputtering outrage. 

“My hovercraft- I can’t, I can’t patch a breach that- hOW did- how cOULd you- YOU!” The voice held no intrigue or gloating now, only fury as the man’s shouts blasted dramatically toward the dizzied winner of their meeting. “You IGNORANT BLIND  RAT !”

‘Hey! There’s being cruel and a jerk and then there’s being RUDE! Mondo uncool fool I’m a HEDGEHOG!!!’ Not that he’d bother with a lecture, but clearly the path to bad guy had been founded with a lack of manners.

“I may not have you in my lab yet but MARK ME WELL! When I have you captured you’ll be pinned like a butterfly and never run again!”

Sticking out a tongue and making a silly face made the threats degrade into incoherent babble as the sputtering, smoking hovercraft wobbled away at a feeble pace. As perfect a chance as it might’ve been to pursue and take the whackjob down for the count, the champ of speed couldn’t budge from the ground beyond lifting his head, energy spent.

Yet already the sun was feeling a bit warmer as it burned through the clouds, a cherry on top to the relief of being free. Pooling the strength to reach into his ‘do to reveal a hefty rectangle with notches and dials and most importantly a  _ big button _ at the center. 

Giggling his way into a laugh in spite of how his insides pulled the hero finally KNEW things would be alright. Under the brightening weather, exhausted but content, Sonic rolled onto his back, closed his eyes, and let the world fall away.

He’d break that record through Green Hill even faster this time when he woke up, and have the time of his life destroying every badnik as he did it with remote in hand.


End file.
